Trying The Latest MTB Trend! | Are High-Rise Bars The Next Big Thing?

When Dakotah Norton showed up to the @uci_mtbworldseries Downhill World Cup with 75mm riser bars, it caused some controversy. Even after Dakotah's explanation, many of us were still on the fence about them. To see if they're worth the hype, Neil Donoghue decided to test some high-rise bars at Dyfi Bike Park. Is this setup the future, or is it just another trend waiting to fade away?

⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 - Welcome!
01:43 - The bars that we’ve bought for this test
04:42 - Testing out the weight bias
09:22 - Some final adjustments
10:55 - Time to test the bars
12:44 - Initial thoughts
15:00 - The verdict

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How much rise do you have on your bars? Let us know in the comments!

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[gmbn]

How much rise do you have on your bars? Do you want to try more? 🤔

[svtube]

Thank you for this video! I’m 63 yrs old, with a 53 yr Moto/dirt bike background. I recently added mtb to my lifestyle, crazy as it seems at my age. I’ve found the content on your site extremely valuable over the past couple months, as I researched the sport. I picked up a second hand Giant E Trance Pro 29er in late June and took it out a handful of times, on some great trails in South Lake Tahoe. I’m a big guy, 6’2”, 270lbs and after a few days riding, the first thing I thought of, was how much I missed the upright position of my dirt bike, compared to this Emtb. I was riding with my brother and we both talked about adding some height to our bars. Your video, and the story behind the higher bars, has convinced me to test 75mm and 90mm bars. Regards, Steve

[dadventuretv]

Short bikes, narrow bars, flat bars, steep geo, long cranks, skinny tires- all these vestiges of road bikes in mtbs and here we are in 2024 still realizing that we need to throw what we know from road bikes out the window. And the craziest part about it is that the answer has been right there all along if we just looked at it- motocross and bmx. They figured all this stuff out ages ago- including mixed wheels.

[mtbs]

Been running the Deity 60mm rise for eight years now. They’re a lot more comfortable and they give me the Moto feel. Go Dak!

[michaelannetts]

I’ve had 80mm rise Deity bars for the past couple of years and they have sorted my lower back pain right out. Plus a 5mm rise DMR defy stem. No issues with lower back on 30mile+ rides. They’re great!

[jokermtb]

Went from a 35mm rise to a 60 mm rise spank spoon hbar (on same 35mm length stem) this season and I’m absolutely loving it…..(and your back feels so much better after the ride too- added bonus)

[chrisexplore]

All we had was riser bars back in the 90's early 00's. Not a new trend just going back to a one that worked. Always been so much better than the low rise imo. Found 50mm the sweet spot

[addtext]

I have those exact bars and absolutely love them. One thing ive noticed is being a taller tider (6'_3") the riser bars really helps my back, but more importantly corrects the geo with my longer inseam. My friends who are shorter have their seat basically match their handle bar height when fully extended, but if i use a 50mm or shorter riser bar, then my bars are actually lower than my seat (when seat is fully extended). The higher rise bars corrects that brings me in better balance. Plus i feel safer. Like it is harder to go over the bars. Might have to find a more reputable brand for QC, but so far so good. Thanks for this episode! Nice work!

[rolfehorn]

In one of the podcasts, it was mentioned that Dak runs about 15psi lower in the forks than most other riders too. So maybe soften the forks for the next test

[justgo]

I’ve always liked taller handlebars than most riders, currently running 60mm on my trail bike, 80mm on my dj and 50 mm on my fat bike . Im happy to see more and more companies making 50mm+ handlebars with a decent width, ten years ago they were almost impossible to find.

[feedbackzaloop]

High rise bars are perfect for absorbing big hits with your arms and still not hitting the sternum

[junka]

When I swapped the bars on the Trek Marlin 7 I had, it made a huge difference to how much better the bike felt and that was a 50mm rise bar as opposed to the flat bar the bike had originally. It's amazing how much of a difference that it can make. Great video Neil. Always cool watching you blast down hill on a well set up bike.

[BigHairyFritz]

My hardtail came with 20mm bars. I recently swapped them out for 50mm rise and it has totally transformed how it rides. It's a million % more comfortable to ride now. I am actually tempted to do the same on my enduro even though that is not the best on the steep climbs as it is.

[Mtbr]

Moto setup is my go to for chunky DH racing, drops are so much easier not much air time anymore at 64 but when I did, much more comfortable in the air. Happy Trails.

[JeffMiller-yknq]

Been running 80mm deity bars for a year on my slash and my pivot shuttle. Have them both mullet. Only thing is depends on what terrain you are riding. Lower shock pressures for steep tech. Front end will wash if you don’t have it set up right. For park it’s a no brainer. Much more comfortable, especially on bigger drops and hits.

[johnmorrison]

Fascinating! When I used to race in the SDA years ago I switched to Chromag flat bars on my bike and absolutely loved it! Ever since I’ve always used either flat or as low as possible on all my bikes

[reneesui]

Ride 90s MTBs we never stopped using these bars🤣

[Bonky-wonky]

What matters is back angle, which is based on crank length (foot spread), bar width (hand spread), reach and bar height, combined with leg, torso and arm length.

I have long legs and torso but very short arms so even with very tall bars my back is still pretty horizontal.

Keep in mind geo (cs length), suspension setup (air pressure + damping) and riding style also play a big role. Can’t just slap a tall bar on your bike and ride into the sunset. I’m pretty sure Dakotah runs his forks quite soft to keep the bike from understeering too much.

[camwoo]

I've got the Burgtec 50mm rise bars and I really love them. No more lower back pain, better mobility on the bike, and steep stuff feels much better. I can't really find any downsides. I thought I would wash out the front eventually because of weight distribution but so far hasn't happened. One plus is that I never feel like I get caught out being too in front of the bike. Recommend!

[mikedwiles]

Great topic! I'm a shorter rider and went through a lot of measurements last year. I tried different rise bars (same Gewage brand). I ended up going with Deity 50mm rise bars. Both of my adult sons thought it was a crazy idea. But I love the way my YT Decoy 29 rides with those bars. I ride a lot of bike parks, tables, berms, and drops. Glad to see others trying it.